Seeing and Hearing and Living
Another Day Along the Way
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Another day,
Seeing and hearing allow us to notice, receive, learn, welcome. While wondering what all I might see and hear in this New Year, I've tried to slow myself - I've hoped to see better, to hear better, to live better.
I recently heard a song from Ken Medema. Though blind, his vision opens doors and passes through closets into Narnia-like land. His lyrics and music invite audiences to see and hear through hearts; he helps us notice and observe, pause and receive, sense and be held.
I've tried to become better at seeing, hearing, and receiving. As this year's first month rushes toward its final few seconds, I look back to recall what I've seen and heard. Join me. Look. Listen. Welcome whatever is nearby or far. Welcome what is there but rarely noticed.
Lee Grady's teaching urged me to receive fresh cups of God's true caffeine. Taylor Maxwell's new music brings honest questions and challenges through ears and into hearts. Keri Wyatt Kent's Rest guides a busy-me toward a balanced-me. Glen Van Ekeren's perspective moved my mind toward positive, hopeful, optimistic dreams.
Lessons about hurt and hope and heaven from various speakers and friends. College students have laughed with me, worshiped with me, cried with me, searched for God with me. Friends proved to be that - friends.
I heard our new President's words. I saw a group of students pray. I heard the sound of a crowd cheering from the stands. I saw our team win. I read Paul's honesty in Colossians and hope his words go through my eyes into a mind, a heart, a life. I looked at a man wanting me to give him hope to live with epilepsy and not give up. I listened to a lady wanting assurance that her husband would come back home from the war. Alive.
Food, basketball, music, books, friends, prayers, confessions, tears, laughter. Sadness, joy, kindness, depression. Dreams and doubts. Prayers and praise. Wind, breath, snow, rain, sunshine. Life.
What we see and what we hear come together into our world of edges. Noticing with our eyes. Noticing with our ears. Noticing the edges.
Calvin Miller, in his memoir Life Is Mostly Edges, invites readers to enter the world of his life. He opens our ears to hear conversations and sermons and tears. He opens our eyes to read beyond words on paper so we can observe his childhood and his aging through a journey of surprises, seasons, questions, romance, and confusion. His poetic motion keeps us with him - I feel like I'm swimming in a current of Miller's nouns and verbs. Pages open, allowing us to notice that his life, as ours, is mostly edges.
Bill Mallonee's music continues talking to me. He asks questions through lyrics which reveal not just his own stories, but our stories. His guitar and harmonica and voice all mingle into rhythm of life - that place of edges. His tunes provide sadness beside a celebration, hurt near a feast, sin adjacent to a land of the holy, a friend near a friend, a life so alone.
I started this year with questions. The answers come and nod. They pause. They hesitate. They stare. They smile. The answers invite us to the edges.
This year, let us stay where we belong. Not that place where we feel the best. In those places where we are hearing and seeing the new - and becoming able to walk into our Narnia-like land and love life again. Nearby. On the edges.
Along the way,
Chris Maxwell
Powerful Statement: "I guess they loved us more than we thought they did. Will somebody please tell me why God's people, who surfeit under a mighty surge of grace, have so much trouble telling other people they are loved?" Barb wondered.
(Calvin Miller, Life Is Mostly Edges)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Another day,
Seeing and hearing allow us to notice, receive, learn, welcome. While wondering what all I might see and hear in this New Year, I've tried to slow myself - I've hoped to see better, to hear better, to live better.
I recently heard a song from Ken Medema. Though blind, his vision opens doors and passes through closets into Narnia-like land. His lyrics and music invite audiences to see and hear through hearts; he helps us notice and observe, pause and receive, sense and be held.
I've tried to become better at seeing, hearing, and receiving. As this year's first month rushes toward its final few seconds, I look back to recall what I've seen and heard. Join me. Look. Listen. Welcome whatever is nearby or far. Welcome what is there but rarely noticed.
Lee Grady's teaching urged me to receive fresh cups of God's true caffeine. Taylor Maxwell's new music brings honest questions and challenges through ears and into hearts. Keri Wyatt Kent's Rest guides a busy-me toward a balanced-me. Glen Van Ekeren's perspective moved my mind toward positive, hopeful, optimistic dreams.
Lessons about hurt and hope and heaven from various speakers and friends. College students have laughed with me, worshiped with me, cried with me, searched for God with me. Friends proved to be that - friends.
I heard our new President's words. I saw a group of students pray. I heard the sound of a crowd cheering from the stands. I saw our team win. I read Paul's honesty in Colossians and hope his words go through my eyes into a mind, a heart, a life. I looked at a man wanting me to give him hope to live with epilepsy and not give up. I listened to a lady wanting assurance that her husband would come back home from the war. Alive.
Food, basketball, music, books, friends, prayers, confessions, tears, laughter. Sadness, joy, kindness, depression. Dreams and doubts. Prayers and praise. Wind, breath, snow, rain, sunshine. Life.
What we see and what we hear come together into our world of edges. Noticing with our eyes. Noticing with our ears. Noticing the edges.
Calvin Miller, in his memoir Life Is Mostly Edges, invites readers to enter the world of his life. He opens our ears to hear conversations and sermons and tears. He opens our eyes to read beyond words on paper so we can observe his childhood and his aging through a journey of surprises, seasons, questions, romance, and confusion. His poetic motion keeps us with him - I feel like I'm swimming in a current of Miller's nouns and verbs. Pages open, allowing us to notice that his life, as ours, is mostly edges.
Bill Mallonee's music continues talking to me. He asks questions through lyrics which reveal not just his own stories, but our stories. His guitar and harmonica and voice all mingle into rhythm of life - that place of edges. His tunes provide sadness beside a celebration, hurt near a feast, sin adjacent to a land of the holy, a friend near a friend, a life so alone.
I started this year with questions. The answers come and nod. They pause. They hesitate. They stare. They smile. The answers invite us to the edges.
This year, let us stay where we belong. Not that place where we feel the best. In those places where we are hearing and seeing the new - and becoming able to walk into our Narnia-like land and love life again. Nearby. On the edges.
Along the way,
Chris Maxwell
Powerful Statement: "I guess they loved us more than we thought they did. Will somebody please tell me why God's people, who surfeit under a mighty surge of grace, have so much trouble telling other people they are loved?" Barb wondered.
(Calvin Miller, Life Is Mostly Edges)
13 Comments:
Hey, yea. I know about those edges. Not always fun like some people told me life would be. Glad God's there though. Thanks C.
JL
Awesome word, Chris! Thanks for always encouraging us to press in and move on!
a hornet sting on an eyelid, a deep cut in between a preschoolers eyes as he "face planted" a partially chopped down palm tree, a badly bleeding elbow from a slip in the shower (landing on a razor)...life with three boys is DEFINITELY, life in and on the edges...(did I mention our girl ran full speed into a pole before Christmas? )
So, I'm not the only one there? I usually feel like it. Guess I've quit before since I felt that way. No I should keep doing what is right even while I feel like a fool.
Great stuff Chris . . . Max Lucado . . never heard of him.
for me this month has definitely been interesting. New relationship, leadership, school, work, and issues at home. Like PC I am also trying to accept my feelings and with the Lord Jesus' help, deal with them. This causes me to move into questioning. Why this? Why that? It hurts. I don't always like prodding inside myself, or even opening up to others because it's too unsafe. Someone might blab all over campus my junk. But we were created for community so why wouldn't I make attempts to not simply open up to Christ but also to my friends. Let myself cry in front of them, talk openly about myself, it's hard but not beneath me. And it helps not just free you from the junk but also opens up an accountability partner relationship to keep you moving forward. So keep pressing on readers. "You can do ALL things THROUGH Christ who GIVES you strength."
-AM
Now that I have a long enough list of your favorite, fantastic authors and musicians to stimulate my mental and spiritual growth for the next several years, I think I'll just leave school.
Not really. But I'll add these names to my list of "Media I Must Experience."
Thanks for reminding me that existence is worth exuding about.
Gotta get VOL's music playing again. I love his writing and his Dylan-like stuff. Thanks for reminding me. I need to find that book too. When does Taylor's music come out?
RH
I have lived life on too many edges with too many people willing to let me "jump off" or watch me fall. I wonder why more Christians can't be honest with Christian friends and tell them they are going in the wrong direction even if they understand why I am choosing that direction. As angry as I may get, I prefer to be shown the right edge to stand on instead of "I don't blame you" when I'm standing over the wrong one.
People don't realize how good they have it or what they have until it is taken from them. We threw you a party when you left but it wasn't long before many of us were saying "we didn't know how good we had it when he was our pastor." You are still missed in Orlando very much. Thanks for staying in touch with your words of Godly wisdom and insight.
Man, cool stuff about Bill M. I was in Michican the same time you were there for the writer conference. VOL played great and our man Bruce was so much Bruce. Guess I should read Calvin Miller's new one? Haven't heard about Kent but sounds good too. Wish we could connect again. Coming north?
TB
LIFE CAN BE TOUGH FOR SURE! LET ALL GOD'S PEOPLE BE STRONG IN HIM! DON'T GIVE UP, HOLD ON TO HIS WORD! Arn't we all (in the words of Dr. Moon...all of SCM HOLLA) "Living By Faith!"
I guess they loved us more than we thought they did........
I hope you know how much you are loved. I am sure a lot of us have tried to convey that to you, but I am not sure we can quite express the enormity of that love and respect. So, one more time - We love you, C!!!
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